Living At Home vs Assisted Living
Assisted living facilities are residential structures that generally include a housekeeping service, meals, a kitchen, personal assistance help, and transportation to the doctor and other activities that may be outside of the facility. These facilities are useful for elderly parents who are no longer able to live independently, but need some level of assistance. Assisted living facilities are state regulated in terms of licensure, staff certifications, inspections and operations. How they are operated vary from state to state. There are no regulatory standards governing these facilities. Families must do a lot of the legwork on their own. Even if an agency is hired to find an appropriate facility, families should still reserve the right to have the last say.
Deciding whether to place your loved one in an assisted living facility or keeping them at home is often a difficult situation. Family obligations are sometimes so complex that keeping an elderly family member at home may not be doable. It is expensive to place a family member in assisted living, but it might be one of the few options families have given their particular circumstances.
If family members come together to decide that it will be a joint and collaborative effort to support an elderly family member at home, then that might be the right choice for that family. However, the expectation of one family member taking on the total responsibility of an elderly parent or other family member may be overwhelming.
If the choice is to keep the family member at home, then there are many services offered in various states. Check with the Office on Aging (name may vary from state to state) in your state to get a list of services offered to the elderly. You may also search the internet to find a listing of Geriatric Care Managers who might be able to help you evaluate your family member’s situation and determine if an assisted living facility is the right fit.
P. S. Always Remember to Share What You Know.
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